Re: How do you like your martinis?

I like to have a good, complex, balanced aroma with correspondingly good flavor.

To get this in a martini, I think the first step is to get a reasonable temperature. Stirring helps keep a martini from getting too diluted or too cold.

I'd rather have a bit more vermouth for its added aromatics -- somewhere in the 3-4:1 range works best for me. There is no better gin than Martin Miller's (at least that I've found... I've only had probably 20 gins), which has a beautiful floral bouquet and some more spicy, earthy tones in addition to its juniper. Plymouth is another good well-balanced floral gin but is not quite as good. Beefeater and Broker's are good choices for cleaner, more juniper-focused gin. Any vermouth that isn't lower-shelf works for me. Noilly Prat works well and is especially dry. Martini & Rossi is pretty good. Lillet technically doesn't call itself gin, but works quite well in vermouth's place.

A twist is my favorite garnish. Cocktail onions are decent and less work (though technically they make your drink a Gibson). I prefer no garnish to olives, and sometimes to an onion.

A dash of bitters can bring together the gin and vermouth quite well. Angostura or orange bitters (Regans is better than Fee Brothers, but Fee Brothers is qutie good) work the best. I don't think Fee Brothers or Peychaud's work particularly well in martinis. Bittercube Cherry Bark Vanilla bitters are delicious in almost anything.

A small amount of St. Germain can enhance the aromatics of a martini and, according to some, make it no longer a martini. Too much can oversweeten the drink.

Re: How do you like your martinis?

Queen sized olives a must and stuffed with either blue cheese or anchovies (hard to believe no others mentioned this delicious variation).

Shaken not stirred and poured into a chilled martini glass. The shake is an important part of the martini making process. Providing good aeration with the resulting pour producing a light layer of ice crystals in the glass makes for a classic favorite.

Martinis are great when made correctly.

"There's nothing better than a fine dinner, a good bottle of whiskey and a bad girl"

Re: How do you like your martinis?

I bought a bottle of this Luksusowa Potato Vodka for like $16.99 earlier today. It's highly rated... supposedly. I figured it might be pretty good but not nearly as good as maybe Rain or Chopin. I'm dead wrong. This is good, clean and smooth vodka. I'm sold on it.

For the record, the Martini I made with it was like this:
-3oz Luksusowa Vodka
-1/2oz M&R Dry Vermouth
-1/4oz Stirrings Dirty Martini mix (olive brine)
Shaken vigorously

Re: How do you like your martinis?

I had no idea there was so much love for the olive brine out there. I like olives, and have been known to stick a couple in a vodka rocks, but wash them first, please. And by no means let those things near my gin martinis!

Re: How do you like your martinis?

Originally Posted by Happyhour24x7

I had no idea there was so much love for the olive brine out there. I like olives, and have been known to stick a couple in a vodka rocks, but wash them first, please. And by no means let those things near my gin martinis!

I like a little of the brine in my martinis. But it is very easy to add too much.